The beginning of a new school year (or Autumn, for non-students) always feels like a time for a fresh start. The air becomes crisp, the leaves start to turn brilliant colours and the days become shorter — it’s like Mother Nature is reminding us that the long and lazy days of summer are over, and it’s time to buckle down, get focused and commit ourselves to the pursuit of our goals and dreams.
It’s a great time to take stock of where you are in life, and what your big plans are for the future. Do you know what your big dreams are? Do you have a plan to get there? The focused energy of the first week of October offers a great opportunity to identify your dreams so that by this time next year, you are that much closer to realising them.
This week, spend a bit of time reflecting and mapping your dreams.
READ: This is a great article that will get you started. It asks key questions and helps you frame the first steps to going out and realising your dreams. I love this quote:
A dream is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will and emotions,
empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it.
DO: The article above lists 6 areas that you must consider in the pursuit of your dream. Pull out your notebook, and ask yourself the following questions:
Mentally prepared: Am I reading and studying the areas of greatest interest?
Experientially prepared: Do I engage in activities that are related to my interests?
Visually prepared: Do I surround myself with pictures of people and things that inspire me?
Hero preparation: Do I have a list of people who inspire me, and whose footsteps I can follow:?
Physical preparation: Am I physically fit enough to follow my dream?
Spiritual preparation: Do I seek inspiration from a power higher than myself, to guide me in pursuit of my dream?
If you answered ‘NO’ to any of the above questions, take 15min and write a short list of all the things you can do right now to improve your preparedness. It could be something as simple as putting up a picture or a vision board on your wall that represents your goals. Or you could dust off your trainers and make a workout schedule for the week. You could identify a club, organisation or MeetUp where you can meet like-minded people, or even just check out a book in the library that is related to your key interest. Every small action counts to getting you one step closer to living your dreams!
